Vicious
by fireflybysky
Summary: Cesare/Lucrezia AU modern day. This was basically a dream that I had a few days ago and I decided to just write it down, not totally happy with it but here it is for now. They are still siblings and Vanozza is their mother but Giovanni Sforza is their step-dad. Warning: incest mildly implied, abuse is a theme.
1. Chapter 1

Lucrezia's shaking hands could barely grasp the plate she was furiously scrubbing for the tenth consecutive time. The water was pouring out the faucet at a scalding temperature but she took no notice. Anything to keep busy and make the time go by faster. It was 4:30, she only had to wait thirty more minutes and he would be home. The worst day's were the one when Cesare worked. The days in which she was trapped alone at home after school with their step-father Giovanni. His unpredictable behavior and violent mood swings were a source of terror when her beloved brother was not their to protect her. On this particular day Giovanni had come home from work at 3:00 and immediately began drinking. Lucrezia was cornered in the kitchen, because should she leave it she would have to encounter him on her way to her bedroom. Something she wished to avoid at all costs. If she was lucky between the drinking and the television he would be distracted and forget she was even there. 4:39. Time seemed to crawl by. She was ripped from her thoughts when she heard the recliner creak. The old stained recliner moaned and protested as Giovanni shifted his weight to get out of it. Lucrezia heard the shatter of a broken bottle and a string of profanities uttered, she knew he was coming into the kitchen for another drink. Like prey to a beast she knew she was caught.

There was no avoiding him now, as soon as he came into the tiny kitchenette he would see her. Giovanni would remember that he had a step-daughter that he like to hit and take his frustrations out upon. "Well look who it is! Why don't you make yourself useful and go clean up that mess out there!" Everything about him disgusted her. From his slovenly appearance to the way he spat his words at her like viscous, boozy venom. Grabbing a roll of paper towels she turned to cut past him as hastily as she could. Just before she breathed a sigh of relief at the idea of getting out of that minuscule kitchen, he snaked a burly arm around her slim waist and pulled her too him. Lucrezia was mere inches from his face now. She could see his yellowed teeth that were skinny like a rat's. She could smell the mixture of booze and odor that comes from someone who doesn't see much use of a regular shower. "Please, let me go. I just want to clean up the mess. You could slip." Racking her brain for anything she could say that would inspire him to release her. Then her salvation came, not in the form of a clever thought but in the turning of a key in the lock.

Fortunately for him Giovanni too heard the key turning in the lock and instantly let loose of her. Lucrezia could not help but to let a slight smile spread across her lips. It was a great pleasure to see one who caused her so much fear and intimidated her so, be apprehensive himself. The door swung open and in walked her Cesare. Though it had been only hours since they had seen each other last, he looked at her like someone in the desert would look at cold water. That was not the look he gave to his step-father who taken to sitting back down in his recliner. For him Cesare reserved a stare so venomous it was a wonder Giovanni hadn't died from it. Cesare turned back to his sister and he noticed things about her someone else might not. He noticed the tremble in her hands, the way her chest was still rapidly moving up and down , her breathing irregular. He knew exactly who it was that had caused this anxiety in his precious sister. A rage began to fill his entire being and ways to cause Giovanni a great deal of pain began to flicker in his violent mind. He was torn away from forming a plan of action when he felt a gentle hand on his arm. Looking into Lucrezia's eyes he saw pleading and she began to lead him down the hallway to her bedroom. "Why will you not let me take action? He deserves every vile thing I wish to do to him." Cesare had begun furiously pacing back and forth across her room. "He is our mother's husband. She loves him and we will be able to leave this house soon. Think of her Cesare." Cesare stopped his pacing and drew her close. Lucrezia never felt safer or more content than when she was in his arms.

"I am reading Wuthering Heights for my english class." Lucrezia spoke softly against his chest. "Will you read it to me?" Cesare smiled down at her. He crossed the room and sat on her bed. After fetching the book from her school bag she lie next to him with her head on his lap. Cesare began to read and they remained that way for hours. "Will you be my Heathcliff? If you will be my Heathcliff, I will be your Cathy." Lucrezia questioned Cesare when he had finished and set the book down. "No, my love. Heathcliff left Cathy when she fell in love with Linton. I will never leave you no matter whom you love." Lucrezia smiled. "I suppose that is where Cathy and I differ. I could never fall in love with someone besides you Cesare. She abandons Heathcliff, I will never leave you either." Cesare could see that a light had been turned on in the hallway and he heard bickering voices. "Our mother is home." Reluctantly Lucrezia forced herself up and the two of them departed the sanctuary of her bedroom to go and greet their mother. "Some food had better be ready by the time this game is over!" Giovanni bellowed throughout the apartment. "Mother!" Lucrezia dashed to hug her mother who had been gone for several days on a business trip. "Please Lucrezia, help me make dinner." Vanozza's voice was strained and she wore the worry on her face like a lined mask that disrupted her elegant features. Lucrezia followed her mother to the kitchen and began chopping vegetables, while Cesare went to their living room and sat as far as he could from their step-father.

"I'm going to have to do something about your sister." Cesare could feel his muscles tighten. Whenever Giovanni even mentioned her it made his blood begin to boil. Normally, Giovanni was careful what he said in front of Cesare. For as daft as he could be, even he saw the darkness in Cesare. Even a vapid man like himself could recognize a ferocity lying just below the surface of his fictitiously calm exterior. With a face like a fairytale prince it was easy to dismiss Cesare as a kind, handsome young man. Nothing more. But if one took the time to look hard enough, one could feel the seething monster that swam just under the tranquil surface. However, when he had been drinking enough, Giovanni lost his sense of self preservation and began to choose his words with intent to infuriate the ears that would hear them.

Giovanni did not like being ignored when he was trying to insult. "I think I really gave her a scare. I grabbed her, pulled her to me. She didn't know what I was going to do. She kept looking at the clock, I knew what she was doing. Hoping you would get here to save her." Giovanni began to cough which turned in to a wicked laugh. Cesare dug his fingers into the couch he was sitting on. "Does it bother you to know she was all but screaming out your name and you weren't here to help her?" He had barely finished his taunt when Cesare's fist collided with his jaw. Spitting blood out of his mouth he drunkenly rose to his feet and aimed his own fist right for Cesare's face. Quicker than Cesare had imagined, he couldn't block it and was smashed across his face by the meaty hand. Hearing the fight both women and run from the kitchen. Lucrezia saw Cesare clutching his face with blood on his hand. Giovanni's ring had cut a gash in his cheek. As ferociously protective as Cesare was, Lucrezia was also. Seething with her own rage she moved to take Giovanni on herself. Before she could get close she was pulled back by hand on her shoulder. "It's not worth it sis. He is too drunk. We could beat him for an hour and he feels nothing."

Lucrezia heard her brother's words but her eyes were focused on the butcher knife she held in her hand. Without thinking she had brought the knife she had been using in the kitchen with her. Turning to face Cesare she reached for his and and pressed the handle of the knife into it. "You say he doesn't feel your fist, perhaps then he will feel this." Without words Cesare wrapped his fingers around the knife. It felt too familiar, like he was someone who belonged with a knife in their hand. Vanozza who had been trying to calm her husband down across the room looked up to see him making his way towards them. Her eye caught the knife glistening in the light. Vanozza stepped away from Giovanni as silent consent to Cesare. "Another round?" Before Giovanni could think to take another swing, Cesare plunged the knife into his chest. Giovanni's heavy frame slumped down and landed with a thud on the floor.

Immediately Cesare turned to his sister. "You have to get out of here Cesare. Go, take nothing and just get as far away as you can." Vanozza's mind had began whirling, deciding how she was going to take care of the situation. Cesare grabbed a backpack and shoved a few belongings inside and made for the front door. "I am coming with you." Lucrezia had packed her own bag and was now standing near the door herself. "No sis. You cannot follow me this time. Stay here and live a normal life with our mother. He is gone now no one is going to hurt you anymore." No matter how hard he was trying, he knew the words lacked conviction. "I am going with you. That is that." Lucrezia's reply was firm and there was no arguing with her. Both of her children hugged Vanozza for what she knew was likely the last time. "Please be careful and take care of each other." With that they exited and began their first steps of journey in which they were entirely unsure of the destination.

"We need to get a hotel for the night, we can't ride this bus forever." They had been on the bus for two hours and it was nearly midnight. Cesare would have kept going, nodded off on the bus maybe, but he knew for Lucrezia's sake they needed a proper bed. He knew there were cheap motels at the next bus stop and that's where they would spend the night. Vanozza would have called the police by now. He wondered how long it would take them to decide it wasn't self defense. To name him as a suspect. To come looking for him.

After paying for the room, they boarded the creaky elevator and took the short ride up two floors. The room was nothing to write home about. Forest green and magenta seemed to be the color scheme and there was only one working lamp. Cesare had paid for two twin beds and after setting down his backpack he flopped onto one of them. Lucrezia, ignoring the second bed, climbed onto his and curled up next to him like an exquisite wild cat. Gently he stroked her hair and calmed himself listening to the even sound of her breathing. Lucrezia, however, was lost in her thoughts. She should have been horrified seeing what he did. How easy it was for him to take a life. He could have called the police. He could have merely wounded him. No, he chose to murder. But that did not frighten her, in fact it delighted her. She was the one who gave him the knife. No matter how sweet and innocent Cesare viewed her, she knew the truth. Like him she wore a mask. A stunning, captivating mask so saccharine her face could give you a cavity. This was why they were a most perfect pair. They were not the story of the big bad wolf and little red riding hood. But rather the story of twin wolves. Equal parts captivating and terrifying.


	2. Chapter 2

"Sis. You must get up now." Lucrezia awoke to a hand shaking her. It wasn't yet dawn but Cesare was up and had their bags in hand. "Did you even sleep?" She asked rubbing her eyes. No answer came just an almost inaudible sigh indicative of gentle impatience. Lucrezia stretched out her hand to him. Effortlessly he pulled her up from the bed and close to his chest. Placing a kiss on the top of her head he wrapped his jacket around her, hoping it would provide some shelter from the frigid temperatures outside. Being more awake and better able to grasp his sense of urgency, Lucrezia slipped on her shoes and opened the door of the hotel room. After another creaky ride on the elevator they paid their bill and made their way outside. Bitter wind bit at any exposed skin. Lucrezia nuzzled against Cesare but felt a pang of guilt at the realization of how thin his t-shirt was. If he felt the cold he did not show it. Guiding the way he led to the bus stop where they would wait. Six others were already scattered around. One woman tightly bundled scolded her son for picking something up from the ground. "This is all your fault! You promised we wouldn't be doing this again!" A girl not much older than Lucrezia shouted at a man who appeared to be her boyfriend. He kept trying to quiet her but it just seemed to infuriate her further.

Cesare sighed. He had saved his sister from one house of screaming and fighting only to thrust her into a filthy world full of it. It unnerved him how the two men who stood closest to them looked at his sister. "I swear it won't always be like this sis. I am going to get a job and do whatever it takes to make sure this is not the type of world you will live in." Lucrezia looked up at him with a devilish grin. Taken aback and confused by her reaction he questioned, "Do you doubt that I will get us out of this?" He cupped her hands in his and blew on them in an effort to warm them. "I do not doubt there is nothing you will do to have what you want brother. I do not doubt that you will always take care of me. But in order for us to have the kind of life we both wish, you getting a job is not going to work. " Her rosy lips placed a kiss on his fingertips. "We will have to use our combined talents to do a different kind of work. One that I believe we are both uniquely capable of. It is a good thing you were able to take a life so easily, you may yet need to do it again" Cesare could not help but to shake his head in awe.

Images of the two of them as bonnie and clyde style criminals flashed in his head. For so long he had wanted to believe he was the dark one. The cursed. The stained. That she was purity and innocence made manifest. From her reaction to his murder of their step-father and her casualness at the idea of doing it again, he could see he underestimated her. Instead of diminishing his esteem for her it increased it. Though it had only been hours it seemed as if they had been on the bus for days. Passing through several small cities, until Lucrezia could bear the hunger no more. "We must stop for food. I need to eat something, anything." Cesare reluctantly agreed that they would get off at the next stop. He knew in his heart he could deny her nothing. The word "no" was not in his vocabulary when it came to his sister. At the next stop they found themselves off the bus and wandering for a place to eat. After fifteen minutes of walking through the snow covered street, passing boarded up building after boarded up building, Lucrezia's eyes spotted a diner. "There Cesare, let's just eat there." If it had not been for the neon sign indicating otherwise, the diner too would have looked closed.

"Hello welcome, my name is Candice. What can I get you?" A waitress far too perky for the dreariness of the surroundings asked once they were seated. The waitress had presumably included them both in her inquisition, but her eyes never left Cesare. "He will have scrambled eggs and bacon with coffee. I will have the same but with hot tea." Lucrezia's tone was sharp and her eyes were like daggers. She wasn't sure what about the waitress bothered her more, her obvious attraction to Cesare or the resemblance. Between her flaxen hair and cream colored skin, their appearance was similar. Before they even had time to discuss what to do next, Candice had flounced back with their drinks. Placing a cup of coffee and an iced tea down on the table she was met with sigh of disgust. "I asked for hot tea. Take this back and bring me what I asked for." Cesare was taken aback by his sister's abrupt tone. Usually she was so kind to and well-mannered even when speaking to those she did not care for. After apologizing profusely, Candice hurried to right the wrong order. "Do you have a problem with our waitress sis?" Cesare inquired in a teasing tone. Lucrezia raised her eyes to meet his, she did not match his playful grin. "Do you find her beautiful? She looks quite a lot like me." Cesare slammed down his coffee cup. "You can't be serious? She is dull and flat. She is like tap water and you a fine wine. There is no comparison between you and some meaningless waitress." Lucrezia smiled for standing behind Cesare was Candice, the waitress. She was coming back to bring the hot tea. Lucrezia noticed that she had put lipstick on and must have fluffed her hair. Candice's face so cheery now crumpled. All the giddiness that had filled her at the sight of Cesare coming through the door had left her. It provided great delight for Lucrezia.

Cesare had always been very handsome. Over the years he had left quite a string of broken hearts amongst his female classmates. Even then, they always bore at least a passing resemblance to Lucrezia, a fact that did not go unnoticed by her. When she was a freshman and Cesare a senior she had witnessed a fight between three girls all claiming he was their boyfriend. It never used to bother her, she knew whom his heart truly belonged to. She knew he cared for no woman, their mother included, even a shred as much as he cared for her. All of the girls had just been ways for him to pass the time. As she had grown older however, her possessiveness had grown stronger. Which was why she was currently fantasizing about splashing her freshly delivered, boiling tea on the waitress' pretty face. "Are you finished? We really must be going." His words stirred his sister out of her thoughts. He knew they needed a plan, but they would have to develop it on the road. After paying their bill and waiting fifteen icy minutes for the bus to arrive, they were once again on their way. Cesare was lost in his head trying to formulate what they should do next. Lucrezia was doing the same when the man sitting across the isle from her caught her eye. On his wrist was a gold watch, she wasn't sure of the make but it looked expensive. His suit had to be silk, it was a slate grey with thin lavender pinstripes. His tie was loose and their was a small smudge of red lipstick on his neck. Eyes were bloodshot and he was constantly trying to smooth his hair with his hand. She was startled when Beethoven's 5th began to blare from his breast pocket. "Hi honey. No. No. I'm at the office, I can't talk. Yes still. I had to spend the night here. Because of this project. Yes, I will be home tonight. Sure. See you tonight. I love you too." The man fumbled in his briefcase until he pulled a gold ring out of the inner pocket and slipped it on. All of Lucrezia's suspicions about the man were confirmed. Taking it all in, it sparked an idea.

"Cesare. Do you see that man there?" She casually gestured in the man's direction. "Yes, what about him?" He asked as he began to analyze the man himself. "I think he has recently been sleeping with someone he isn't married to. He must have money too. Look at his watch and suit. How much do you think a man like that would pay if we were to threaten to tell his wife?" Cesare shook his head. "Who knows? A few thousand? Not enough for us to live on forever if that's what you're thinking." Admittedly that was her initial thought but she had begun to think on a much larger scale. "No. We will not make our fortunes threatening unfaithful husbands. But think, brother, of all the other secrets people hide. Ones much bigger and much more valuable." Cesare smiled. "So that's our plan then is it? To steal secrets and use them as weapons, forcing people to pay us in exchange for our silence." Cesare leaned back, resting his head against the window. "You are not seeing the bigger picture. The two of us could take their secrets, their money, and anything of worth. We are Borgias. Together we will make our name mean something. We find out the darkest secrets and use them to spin a web the most cunning person in all the world wouldn't have the slightest idea how to escape. We find the rich and the powerful, the ones with most to lose. We find the rope of lies they have created and we hang them with it."


End file.
